Gullible

The mainstream media is amazing. The stuff they publish. The way they manipulate facts to promote their viewpoints.

The New York Times is a good example. Recently, the Times ran an editorial noting that investors are running from stocks and buying bonds. The reason for this, says the Times, is that the stock market has become untrustworthy because it isn’t regulated.

They don’t know what they are talking about. They ignore the fact that people went into the market when it was unregulated – precisely because it was unregulated. And the Times apparently never stopped to consider that exiting the market right now just might be a good thing.

Fox News is another good example. They are always featuring “news” events that are nothing more than silly little stories that pander to the prejudices of conservatives.

This raises the question: Why do so many people believe this crap? And I think the answer is that most people are not capable of rational analysis. Our educational system does not include – as it should – basic courses in logic, discourse, and reasoning. These are considered “elective” subjects for college students. Yet they should be part of every grammar school curriculum.

Lacking the ability to reason, people need to make decisions nonetheless. So they rely on prejudices they learned as children. And they look to the media to reinforce their prejudices and, thus, justify their decisions.